The present invention pertains broadly to signal devices for rural mailboxes, and more particularly to such a device which is actuated upon opening of the mailbox door to provide a visual indication to a remotely located observer that mail has been delivered to the box.
In suburban and rural areas mail is generally delivered by motor vehicle, so that mailboxes are of necessity placed along the highway where they are accessible by the driver of the delivery vehicle. The mailbox may thus be some distance from the residence or business facility to which mail is delivered. It is necessary for the recipient to physically go to the mailbox to retrieve the mail after it is delivered. Due to a number of factors, including highway conditions, volume of mail and time of receipt at the local post office by the carrier, the daily time of delivery to the rural box may vary by a considerable amount. Furthermore, on some delivery days the box holder may not receive any mail. In any event, with conventional mailboxes determination of whether mail has been placed in the box necessitates a trip to the box. Absence of mail in the box would indicate either that mail had not yet been delivered, or that there was no mail for the box holder that day. In either event, additional trips to the box might be required until the question of delivery was resolved.